Implementation Guidelines for SDWARS/UCMR 

Volume V: Flat File Format

EP001S5

EPA 816-R-01-022D

December 2001

iii

Contents

Chapter 1 Introduction ................................................................................1-1

INTENDED USERS OF GUIDE..............................................................................................1-1

ORGANIZATION OF GUIDE.................................................................................................1-1

RESPONSIBLE ENTITY .......................................................................................................1-2

HOW TO USE THIS VOLUME..............................................................................................1-3

HOW TO GET MORE INFORMATION...................................................................................1-3

Chapter 2 Business Issues ...........................................................................2-1

FLAT FILE SUBMISSIONS ...................................................................................................2-1

THE FLAT FILE FORMAT RULES........................................................................................2-1

File Naming Convention............................................................................................2-1

Header Records..........................................................................................................2-2

Batch Records............................................................................................................2-3

Sample Records..........................................................................................................2-3

General Format Rules ................................................................................................2-4

TIMING OF TRANSACTIONS ...............................................................................................2-4

MAINTENANCE..................................................................................................................2-5

Maintaining This Implementation Guideline .............................................................2-5

Maintaining the Flat File Format Version or Release................................................2-5

Chapter 3 Legal and Security Considerations ...............................................3-1

AUTHENTIC SUBMISSIONS.................................................................................................3-1

ELECTRONIC REPORTING ..................................................................................................3-1

CDX Registration.......................................................................................................3-1

Flat File Submission ..................................................................................................3-1

Approving Submissions .............................................................................................3-2

ELECTRONIC RECORD KEEPING ........................................................................................3-2

Backup and Recovery Procedures..............................................................................3-2

Audit Considerations .................................................................................................3-2

Procedure Documentation..........................................................................................3-3
iv

Chapter 4 Environments..............................................................................4-1

COMMUNICATIONS............................................................................................................4-1

SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS ..............................................................................................4-3

UCMR DATA FLOW.........................................................................................................4-3

Chapter 5 Error Corrections and Resubmissions...........................................5-1

CORRECTING ERRORS .......................................................................................................5-1

RESUBMITTINGDATA .......................................................................................................5-7

CHECKING THE RANGE OF DATA VALUES.........................................................................5-7

UCMR Data Range Checks .......................................................................................5-7

SDWARS Data Range Checks ..................................................................................5-8

Appendix A Flat File Format, UCMR Reporting

Appendix B Analyte Code List

Appendix C Analytical Method Code

Appendix D Flat File Examples

Appendix E Abbreviations

FIGURES

Figure 4-1. CDX Account Web Page ....................................................................................4-1

Figure 4-2. File Upload..........................................................................................................4-2

Figure 4-3. File Submission Confirmation ............................................................................4-2

Figure 4-4. CDX Inbox with Successful Upload Message ....................................................4-3

Figure 4-5. UCMR Flat File Process .....................................................................................4-4

Figure 5-1. MyCDX Inbox with Error Notification...............................................................5-1

Figure 5-2. Text File with Details of Errors..........................................................................5-3

TABLES

Table 5-1. Authentication Error Messages ............................................................................5-2

Table 5-2. Common Formatting Data/Verification Error Messages.....................................5-4

Table 5-3. UCMR Validation Errors.....................................................................................5-6

Table 5-4. Range Checks Performed by SDWARS...............................................................5-8
 1-1 

Chapter 1 

Introduction 

This document describes the specifications for submitting data for the 

Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR) program to the U.S. 

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in a flat file format. Only laboratories 

that are registered with EPA’s Central Data Exchange (CDX) can submit data to 

the Safe Drinking Water Accession and Review System (SDWARS). SDWARS 

is the information system that supports the collection of data for the UCMR. 

Preliminary analytical data are entered by laboratories on behalf of the Public 

Water Systems (PWSs) participating under the rule. The PWS can then review 

their data online. Data approved by the PWS are then available for state and EPA 

review before being transmitted to the National Contaminant Occurrence 

Database (NCOD). To learn more about CDX and how to register, see Volume I 

of these implementation guidelines, or contact the CDX Technical Support by 

phone (1-888-890-1995) or e-mail at <EPACDX@lmi.org>, with “UCMR” in the 

subject line. 

INTENDED USERS OF GUIDE

This implementation guide (IG) describes the requirements and procedures 

necessary for UCMR participants to transmit flat files through the EPA’s CDX to 

the SDWARS. The scope of this IG is solely to transmit monitoring data from 

laboratories for public water systems (PWSs) to EPA’s SDWARS through the 

CDX. 

ORGANIZATION OF GUIDE

This IG is the fifth volume of a five-volume set. It describes the requirements and 

procedures for submitting flat files. The other volumes are listed below: 

◆ IG Volume I—introduces the CDX and electronic reporting. 

◆ IG Volume II—describes completing and submitting Web forms in detail. 

◆ IG Volume III—contains details about Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) 

in case EPA decides to exchange monitoring data using EDI (not 

applicable to UCMR). 

◆ IG Volume IV—documents in detail the formatting requirements for 

Extensible Markup Language (XML) to be used with the EPA-provided 
 

 1-2 

document type definition (DTD) to create a well-formed, valid XML 

document. 

RESPONSIBLE ENTITY

These guidelines are published under the authority of 

Office of Environmental Information 

Information Collection Division 

Central Receiving Branch 

1200 Pennsylvania Ave, NW, Mail Stop 2823 

Washington, DC 20460 

The Office of Environmental Information (OEI) helps ensure that EPA collects 

high-quality environmental information and makes it available to the American 

public. OEI provides guidance to assist the agency about the way EPA collects, 

manages, analyzes,, and provides/allows access to environmental information. 

Within OEI is the Office of Information Collection (OIC). OIC is the agency lead 

for information collection programs, including how EPA obtains and manages 

information. OIC works closely with many partners, stakeholders, facilities, other 

federal agencies, and states. Within OIC, the Central Data Exchange is the EPA’s 

new infrastructure for supporting the exchange of environmental data between 

EPA and its external partners. Over the next several years CDX will expand to 

become the point of entry for nearly all environmental data submissions to the 

agency. It will also improve collection, management and sharing of environmental 

information among states, tribes, and EPA so that they can achieve their 

respective and shared environmental goals. 

The CDX Technical Support Center will answer questions about the web form for 

data monitoring or compliance reporting. The Center logs each call to ensure 

customer support is completed. Several options are available for receiving 

customer support for electronic reporting: 

◆ By telephone. Person-to-person telephone support is available between 

8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. (EST/EDT) from our toll-free line at 

1-888-890-1995. 

◆ By fax. You may request assistance 24 hours a day; support personnel will 

return calls between 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. (EST/EDT). Our fax number 

is 703-917-7105. 

◆ By e-mail. Send e-mail to <EPACDX@lmi.org> with “UCMR” in the 

subject line. Responses will be sent between 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. 

(EST/EDT). 
Introduction 

 1-3 

HOW TO USE THIS VOLUME

You can find general information about the CDX and electronic reporting in 

Volume I. The remainder of this volume is structured as follows: 

◆ Chapter 2—Business Issues. This chapter discusses format rules and 

maintenance. 

◆ Chapter 3—Legal and Security Considerations. This chapter contains 

legal and security considerations. 

◆ Chapter 4—Environments. This chapter explains the communications and 

software requirements for submitting data to CDX. 

◆ Chapter 5—Error Corrections and Resubmissions. This chapter explains 

correcting errors and resubmitting data. 

◆ Appendix A—Flat File Format, UCMR Reporting. This appendix is the 

UCMR flat file format. 

◆ Appendix B—Analyte Code List. This appendix is a list of analyte codes. 

◆ Appendix C—Analytical Method Code. This appendix is a list of analytical 

method codes. 

◆ Appendix D—Flat File Examples. This appendix shows examples of flat 

files. 

◆ Appendix E—Abbreviations. 

HOW TO GET MORE INFORMATION

EPA has websites that you may find useful in submitting a UCMR electronically: 

◆ The CDX website is at <http://EPACDX.lmi.org>; only registered users 

can access this site. (To gain access, register by using the process 

described in Volume I.) 

◆ General public information about the EPA CDX is at 

<http://www.epa.gov/cdx>. 

◆ The Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water (OGWDW) maintains a 

Web page about UCMR at <http://www.epa.gov/safewater/ucmr.html>. 
 

 1-4 
 2-1 

Chapter 2 

Business Issues 

This section describes when data may be submitted and introduces the UCMR flat 

file structure, which specifies the record layout and the data elements required for 

submitting data to SDWARS. The flat file structure is defined in Appendix A. 

FLAT FILE SUBMISSIONS

Only laboratories may submit electronic files to the SDWARS database. These 

files contain data about batches (analytical or extraction) and sample results. After 

you, as representative of the lab, submit a file, the CDX will return a message to 

your “MyCDX” inbox that the file has been successfully processed, or that errors 

have been detected and the file has been rejected. You should correct rejected 

files and resubmit (Chapter 5 discusses error correction and resubmissions). 

Depending on specific codes placed in the file and the results of SDWARS range 

check validations (see Chapter 5 for details of range checks), you may need to log 

into the SDWARS database and further process the data through web forms 

(see Volume II for more on web form processing). 

THE FLAT FILE FORMAT RULES

The following format rules apply to generating a proper UCMR flat file, as shown 

in Appendix A. 

Each file submission may contain three types of records: 

◆ Header record 

◆ Batch record(s) 

◆ Sample record(s) 

The content and format of each record type is described in Appendix A. The 

following sections describe some general rules. 

File Naming Convention 

The file name must be unique from all other files submitted to SDWARS. The file 

name must follow the format: “UCM + (Laboratory ID) + (unique alphanumeric 

identifier assigned by the laboratory).txt” (e.g., The unique alphanumeric 

identifier may be an incremental counter, such as “UCMIL00028001.txt.”). The 
 

 2-2 

length must not exceed 40 characters and may include an underscore “_”, but not 

spaces or symbols (e.g., $, @, &, %). 

Your laboratory ID begins with the two letter postal code for your state followed 

by a five-digit numeric code assigned by the US EPA during a past performance 

evaluation (PE) study (e.g., FL12345). If you do not know your lab ID, please 

contact the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (see Chapter 1). 

Header Records 

The header record identifies the report type and purpose, the submitting 

laboratory and other file data. There must be exactly one header record and it 

must be the first record in the file. The following describes the fields for the 

header record: 

◆ Start tag field identifies the record type as a header record (only “HDR” is 

accepted). 

◆ Report type field identifies the incoming data for a specific program. 

◆ Version field identifies the standard the data are formatted to. 

◆ Transaction purpose field identifies data as original or replacement—a 

code “o” or “r”. If they are original, at least one subsequent batch or 

sample record must be new. A replacement contains replacement data, but 

may also contain original data. If the transaction purpose is replacement 

then the record from the file will overwrite any existing data. If the record 

does not exist, SDWARS inserts the data into the database. 

◆ Sender ID field identifies the laboratory submitting the data. 

◆ CDX identification field identifies the user to be contacted for processing 

issues. 

◆ Transaction date field provides the date of the transaction. 

◆ Transaction time field provides the time of the transaction. 

◆ Environment field identifies the data as test or production. If they are test, 

the file will be checked as if it were going to be loaded into the database. 

CDX will provide the laboratory with a message noting that the file would 

successfully process into the database or a reject message listing up to 

50 errors. Data submitted as test will not upload into SDWARS.

Production indicates the system will process the data into SDWARS, 

unless the data have errors. CDX will provide a message to the 

laboratory indicating a successful upload or a message with the errors. 

If the file contains errors, the whole file is rejected. 
Business Issues 

 2-3 

Following the header record is the batch data, which may be any number of batch 

records. The batch record is optional if there is not any original batch data. 

Following the batch data are the sample/results records. There must be at least one 

batch or sample record within the file. 

Batch Records 

Batch quality control records contain a unique batch ID, extraction or analysis 

date, analytical method code and other information related to the collection. A file 

may contain zero, one, or many batch quality control (QC) records. However, all 

batch records must be grouped together immediately following the header record 

and preceding any sample records. 

If the Transaction Purpose code in the header record indicates a replacement file, 

then at least one of the batch IDs must match one already in SDWARS. The data 

in this record will replace the previous data. If SDWARS cannot find a matching 

ID, it will reject the record. 

If the Transaction Purpose code in the header record indicates an original file, 

then all batch IDs must be new. If SDWARS finds a matching ID already present, 

it will reject the record as a duplicate and reject the entire file. 

Sample Records 

A sample record identifies the PWS, facility, and sample point of the analyzed 

data. It also contains an associated batch ID, and other results data. A file may 

contain zero, one, or many sample records. However, all sample records must be 

grouped together following all the batch QC records (if any). 

A sample record must be associated to a unique batch ID. That batch ID will 

typically be in the preceding batch records, however it could have been previously 

loaded in SDWARS through another file. 

If the Transaction Purpose code in the header record indicates replacement, then 

at least one of the sample IDs should match one already in SDWARS. The data in 

this record will replace the previous data. If SDWARS cannot find a matching ID, 

it will reject the data. 

If the Transaction Purpose code in the header record indicates original, then all 

sample IDs must be new. If SDWARS finds a matching ID already present, it will 

reject the record as a duplicate and reject the entire file. 

Sample IDs must be linked to a valid PWS, facility, sampling point, and batch. If 

any of these are not present in SDWARS, the record will be rejected, which will 

result in the entire file being rejected. 
 

 2-4 

Each sample record must reference a batch record that is either one of the 

preceding batch records in the transaction or already exists in SDWARS from a 

previous transaction or online data entry. (Note: batch data and associated sample 

records do not have to be part of the same transaction as long as the batch data are 

processed into SDWARS before the sample results are submitted. Mixing new 

batch records is permitted in the same transaction as sample records that are 

associated with existing SDWARS batch records.) 

General Format Rules 

◆ Each record begins with a 3-character “start_tag” that identifies the type of 

record to be processed. 

◆ Each record is processed field by field according to the order in which 

they are defined. The field/element delimiter indicates the end of one 

field/element and the start of the next field/element in the definition. 

◆ All record elements are pipe ‘|’ delimited with a record-terminator tilde “~”. 

◆ A ‘new-line’ character (i.e., a carriage return) is permitted only after a 

record terminator (i.e., “~”). 

◆ The first character of an element must be either alphabetic or numeric, not 

a space or special character. 

◆ Record elements that may be null should apply the text value of ‘null’ if 

the value of the element is null. Restrictions on element type and size are 

ignored for ‘null’ values. 

TIMING OF TRANSACTIONS

The CDX system operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. See the CDX website 

for any specific changes in operating hours. CDX places a receipt acknowledgment 

message in the users CDX inbox for each file submitted. Users are encouraged to 

check their box on a regular basis as well as to follow the detailed instructions for 

verifying submissions in Volume II. Submissions typically will be uploaded to 

SDWARS within 30 minutes after they are received, but may take as long as an 

hour. 
Business Issues 

 2-5 

MAINTENANCE

Maintaining This Implementation Guideline 

EPA will be responsible for maintaining, updating, and distributing the IG as 

needed. Submitters will be responsible for ensuring their process remains 

consistent with this guide. If a system is modernized, it must retain data formats 

and processes consistent with what is defined in this IG and the UCMR program. 

EPA will notify all laboratories registered as file submitters when revising this IG 

and its content. 

Maintaining the Flat File Format Version or Release 

The flat file rules in this chapter and the structure in Appendix A represent the 

current flat file format. If business requirements dictate revising this guide, EPA 

will coordinate the changes and transition with CDX registrants. 
 

 2-6 
3-1

Chapter 3 

Legal and Security Considerations

Electronic reporting of UCMR data reduces the burden of reporting, collecting 

data, and record keeping for both reporting facilities and responsible 

environmental agencies by eliminating the labor, time, and other costs of 

submitting paper reports. Electronic reporting does not lessen or alter any of the 

submitter’s responsibilities or liabilities under good business practices.

AUTHENTIC SUBMISSIONS

Drinking water regulations do not require laboratories to electronically sign data 

submitted to SDWARS. However, submitting laboratories should consider their 

submissions as their official copy of record.

UCMR business rules require laboratories to mark each sample “approved” before 

the responsible PWS can review it. In turn, each PWS must mark a sample 

“approved” before a state or EPA entity can review it or before it can be moved 

on to EPA data systems.

Laboratories can mark uploaded files as “approved.” If successfully uploaded, 

these files will move directly to the PWS review process. If rejected, the 

laboratory must correct and resubmit them. However, there are also certain data 

range checks which the system will review. If data fall outside of the range limits, 

SDWARS will alter the status from “lab approved” to “lab hold.” For such 

records, the laboratory must use the web form to manually approve the records.

ELECTRONIC REPORTING

CDX Registration

All laboratories reporting UCMR data must be registered with CDX before 

submitting flat files. Refer to IG Volume I for information about registration.

Flat File Submission

The flat file submission itself does not require authentication. However, the 

submitting organization must maintain proper safeguards and security over the 

computer systems that will generate the flat file. At a minimum, an authorized 

official must use a secure means to release the UCMR data. The security can 

include using password- or token-based entry into the system to release the 

completed monitoring data so the flat file can be generated.
3-2

Approving Submissions

Once the CDX receives the data, the system will display the data on its website 

within an hour, unless the data were marked “approved” in the flat file—then 

it will go directly to the PWS. The facility may access the website and approve 

the data. The official who approves the data must have previously registered with 

EPA. After the data are approved, they are considered the official data for 

SDWARS. See Volume I of this IG for more information about registering.

ELECTRONIC RECORD KEEPING

Regardless of how a facility keeps the records, the facility’s systems for 

monitoring applications and generating flat files should adhere to procedures 

described below.

Backup and Recovery Procedures

The systems should back up all data and programs daily. Backup media should be 

stored off site. Users should maintain archives of all transmissions sent and 

received, which should be readily accessible for at least 30 days to ensure that the 

user can retransmit the data if EPA or another regulatory agency requests them. 

The facility should maintain logs of all transmitted UCMR flat files and verify 

that EPA received them.

Alternative plans should be developed to accommodate unforeseen problems, 

such as loss of a data center or local phone system, or a catastrophic act of nature 

that prevents transmitting data for an extended period. Alternatives may include 

temporarily using remote backup systems or different third-party service providers.

Audit Considerations

Submitters should maintain an adequate audit trail to ensure that they can 

substantiate, when needed, information exchanged electronically. In an 

information systems environment, an audit trail typically focuses on the 

transactions in the system—the data processed, input or output devices accessed, 

and the date and time that activities occurred. Documents in paper form usually 

are available to validate information input or output from information systems. 

However, in an electronic reporting environment, paper versions of data do not 

exist. Therefore, an audit mechanism for the electronic environment should be 

more comprehensive to substantiate the information transmitted and received 

electronically. A submission audit trail is a full set of records (maintained in either 

electronic or paper format) documenting the data received, sent, retained, and 

stored. This set of records should accurately reflect data or date the events as they 

occurred.
Legal and Security Considerations

3-3

Procedure Documentation

The submitter should maintain current and detailed documentation of its backup 

and disaster-and-recovery procedures. In addition, the facility should document its 

record-keeping procedures (either paper or electronic).
3-4
4-1

Chapter 4 

Environments

This chapter summarizes the flow of flat file data between the submitting 

organization and the CDX. The chapter begins with a discussion of the 

communications path between the user and CDX.

COMMUNICATIONS

Once a file is generated, it can be uploaded through the CDX website. Once the 

user has established an account with CDX and the user’s sponsor letter is 

processed at CDX, the user will have access to the UCMR:File Upload link in the 

“Available Account Profiles” at the bottom of the “MyCDX” account web page 

(Figure 4-1).

Figure 4-1. CDX Account Web Page
4-2

The link will take the user to the UCMR file upload web page (Figure 4-2). On 

the UCMR File Upload screen the user will enter the directory location of the flat 

file or click on the Browse button to locate the file. When file has been located, 

the user may click on the Send File button.

Figure 4-2. File Upload

The user will receive an acknowledgement on the screen and in the user’s CDX 

inbox that SDWARS received the user’s file (Figure 4-3). If the user encounters 

problems with uploading the file, contact the CDX Technical Support.

Figure 4-3. File Submission Confirmation

CDX may take several minutes to process the user’s file into SDWARS. When 

the file has been processed, CDX will send the user an upload confirmation 

message or an error message to the user’s CDX inbox (Figure 4-4). If the user 

receives an error message, refer to Chapter 5. If the user receives a successful 

upload confirmation message (Figure 4-4), the user’s data have been loaded and, 

depending on the laboratory status, the user should be able to view the data in 

SDWARS. The laboratory can edit data with a laboratory status of “lab hold,” but 

approved data can only be viewed through the search function of SDWARS. See 

the Volume II, for a more complete discussion about the SDWARS web interface.
Environments

4-3

Figure 4-4. CDX Inbox with Successful Upload Message

SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS

Users must develop a parser to parse (map) the data into the flat file format 

according to their Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) or other 

information system architecture. For the first submission, each laboratory should 

use the test environment. The laboratory may also coordinate with the CDX 

Technical Support to test a transaction to ensure their files will be properly 

processed when received.

UCMR DATA FLOW

The first step to creating a flat file is to prepare the extraction of the data from the 

LIMS. The various LIMSs available may be programmed to extract and parse the 

flat file elements or use some data transformation software to parse the data once 

extracted. The user’s LIMS provider should be consulted about the capabilities of 

the user’s software.

When the user has determined a process for extracting the data, the user must 

parse the data into a flat file format. The flat file format is in Appendix A. EPA 

will maintain the most recent UCMR flat file format on the CDX website. The lab 

should validate the resultant flat file to ensure that it complies with the structure 

of the format.

The user then can communicate the validated flat file format to CDX as described 

above. CDX will poll the laboratory mailboxes on the CDX server and convert the 

flat files to the UCMR XML DTD (see IG Volume IV for a description of XML). 
4-4

The XML document is sent to the CDX parser for validating and uploading into 

SDWARS. Figure 4-5 represents the processing of a UCMR flat file submission.

Figure 4-5. UCMR Flat File Process

Lab LIMS

Lab File

Conversion

Internet

(SSL)

System

dependant

format

Flat File

(UCMR)

CDX Server

Safe Drinking Water

Accession & Review

System (SDWARS)

yes

 MyCDX Inbox

File name and

Authorized

Sender?

Translation

to XMLand data

validation

Successful File

upload message

No: error message

No: error message

Flat File

(UCMR)

Receipt

 Acknowledgement

User Logs in to verify data, change

status, and override range checks

If errors prevent processing the submission, CDX will send an error message to 

the submitter’s CDX inbox (Figure 4-4).

After making the corrections, the data can be resubmitted (refer to Chapter 5). 

The submitter can call the CDX Technical Support for additional assistance.

Once the data are loaded into SDWARS, the laboratory will be able to enter CDX 

via their web account to view the data (see IG Volume II for a discussion of web 

access). If the laboratory has an “approval” status in the Reviewer_Status 

element, the laboratory will only be able to view the data online. If the laboratory 

has a “hold” in the Reviewer_Status element or does not provide a status, the 

laboratory will be able to view and make edits. The PWS cannot review data until 

the laboratory has approved the submitted data.
 5-1 

Chapter 5 

Error Corrections and Resubmissions 

CORRECTING ERRORS

If a submission contains errors that prevent it from being parsed into SDWARS, 

CDX will notify the submitter of the error by sending a notification to the 

“MyCDX” inbox (Figure 5-1). 

Figure 5-1. MyCDX Inbox with Error Notification 

Data checks are done at two stages during the file upload process—authentication 

and data validation. Authentication occurs as soon as CDX receives the file. CDX 

authenticates the sender and the file name. These messages are displayed in the 

user’s inbox. Table 5-1 shows the error messages a user might receive. 
 

 5-2 

Table 5-1. Authentication Error Messages 

Error message Administrator note 

Archive1 fail. File name larger than 75 characters. 

File: gggggggggggggggg was not accepted. The user ID 

yyyyyyy is not authorized to submit for lab ID: 

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx. For questions, contact CDX Technical 

Support at 1-888-890-1995. 

The file submitted for UCMR Lab ID 

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx has some problems. Please 

access your CDX Inbox for further information. Thank 

you for your cooperation. 

The data validation function performs checks in two parts—format and UCMR 

validations. SDWARS will conduct data validation and verifications according to 

UCMR. If the file does not pass the checks, SDWARS will provide an error 

message in the user’s “MyCDX” inbox. A copy of the error notification is sent to 

the CDX Technical Support, in case the submitter has questions about the error 

report. 

The message (see Figure 5-2) is numbered and provides an explanation, the 

extract of the record that contains the error, and an optional administrator 

message. The administrator message is included to provide the technical support 

staff additional information, should the user need assistance. The text file lists up 

to the first 50 errors in the submitted file. The first message in Figure 5-2 does not 

include an administrator message, while the second message does. 

SDWARS verifies the data by first checking general format and verifying IDs 

(i.e., correct format for date, batch ID, valid PWS ID, valid method, valid 

sampling point ID). Table 5-2 lists common error messages for data formatting 

and general validations. These messages identify the probable cause for the error 

and recommended corrective actions. 
Error Corrections and Resubmissions 

 5-3 

Figure 5-2. Text File with Details of Errors 

An error occured while processing a file submission to UCMR.

Submission information:

File name: UCMAK00001_06292001113952750-JKELLOG1.txt

Error date: Jun 29, 2001

Error time: 11:52:6 AM

For further assistance, please contact the CDX Technical Support staff at 1 888 890-1995.

1. ERROR MESSAGE EXPLANATION:

 SPK_CONCENTRATION must equal N/A or be greater than 0. For further assistance,

 please contact the CDX Technical Support staff at 1 888 890-1995.

LAB_IDENT_CD: AK00001

BATCH_IDENT_CD: AST2251887

METHOD_CD: ASTM D5790

ANALYTE_CD: 2254

SPK_CONCENTRATION: 0

RESULT_PRECISION: 71

ACCURACY: 19

EXTRACTION_ANALYSIS_DATE: 24-Jan-01

USER_LOGIN_ID: 

LAST_CHANGE: 

2. ERROR MESSAGE EXPLANATION:

The Batch associated with this Sample does not exist. Please add the Batch data or change

 the Batch ID and resubmit your data. See BATCH_ID below. For further assistance,

 please contact the CDX Technical Support staff at 1 888 890-1995.

LAB_IDENT_CD: AK00001

BATCH_IDENT_CD: ASTOUNDING

METHOD_CD: ASTM D5475

SAMPLE_IDENT_CD: AST2052644164

ANALYTE_CD: 2272

ANAL_RESULT_VALUE: 6

ERROR_EXIST: 

LAB_REVIEW: 

LAB_REVIEW_DATE: 

PWS_REVIEW: 

PWS_REVIEW_DATE: 

STATE_REVIEW: 

STATE_REVIEW_DATE: 

EPA_REVIEW: 

EPA_REVIEW_DATE: 

SENT_TO_EPA_DATE: 

PRESENCE_ABSENCE: 

LESS_THAN_MRL: 0

STATE_REGION_ID: 99

PWS_ID: 990000001

FACILITY_ID: 00002

SAMPLING_POINT_ID: 4354

STATUS_CD: 10

USER_LOGIN_ID: 

LAST_CHANGE: 

Administrator Message:

ORA-02291: integrity constraint (UCMR.FK_FIELD_ANALYTES_BATCH_QC) violated - parent key not found
 

 5-4 

Table 5-2. Common Formatting Data/Verification Error Messages

Error message Administrator message 

The Batch ID and Method combination already exist in 

SDWARS. Please change the Batch ID or Method and 

resubmit your data. See BATCH_IDENT_CD and 

METHOD_CD: below. For further assistance, please 

contact the CDX Technical Support staff at 

1-888-890-1995. 

ORA-0001 unique constraint 

(UCMR.PK_TableName) violated. 

Your Lab ID is not known. Verify your Lab ID is correct and 

resubmit. See LAB_IDENT_CD below. For further 

assistance, please contact the CDX Technical Support staff 

at 1-888-890-1995. 

ORA-02291 integrity constraint 

(UCMR.FK_TableName_TableName) violated–

parent key not found. 

This Method is unknown to SDWARS. See METHOD_CD 

below. Verify the method and resubmit your data. For 

further assistance, please contact the CDX Technical 

Support staff at 1-888-890-1995. 

UCMR.FK_BATCH_QC_METH0D_ANALYTE_IDS 

The analyte and method combination is unknown to 

SDWARS. See ANALYTE_CD and METHOD_CD below. 

Verify the analyte and method, then resubmit your data. 

For further assistance, please contact the CDX Technical 

Support staff at 1-888-890-1995. 

UCMR.FK_BATCH_QC_METH0D_ANALYTE_IDS 

The record below shows that this Method is not associated 

with this Analyte in SDWARS. Please verify the 

METHOD_CD and ANALYTE_CD are correctly associated. 

For further assistance, please contact the CDX Technical 

Support staff at 1-888-890-1995. 

UCMR.FK_BATCH_QC_METH0D_ANALYTE_IDS 

The Sample ID and PWS ID combination already exists. 

Please change the Sample ID and resubmit your data. See 

SAMPLE_IDENT_CD below. For further assistance, please 

contact the CDX Technical Support staff at 

1-888-890-1995. 

ORA-00001 unique constraint 

(UCMR.PK_TableName) violated. 

Your Lab ID could not be found in SDWARS. Please verify 

your Lab ID and resubmit your data. See LAB_IDENT_CD 

below. For further assistance, please contact the CDX 

Technical Support staff at 

1-888-890-1995. 

ORA-02291 integrity constraint 

(UCMR.FK_TableName_TableName) violated—

parent key not found. 

The following PWS ID could not be found in SDWARS. 

Please verify the PWS ID and resubmit your data. See 

PWS_ID below. For further assistance, please contact the 

CDX Technical Support staff at 1-888-890-1995. 

ORA-02291 integrity constraint 

(UCMR.FK_TableName_TableName) violated—

parent key not found. 

FK Violation 

(UCMR.FK.BATCH_QC_METHOD_ANALYTE_IDS) 

The following PWS ID and Facility ID combination could 

not be found in SDWARS. Please verify the Facility ID 

belongs to this PWS and resubmit your data. See 

FACILTY_ID and PWS_ID below. If the Facility is correct, 

please contact the PWS and have them update their 

inventory in SDWARS. For further assistance, please 

contact the CDX Technical Support staff at 

1-888-890-1995. 

ORA-02291 integrity constraint 

(UCMR.FK_TableName_TableName) violated—

parent key not found. K Violation 

(UCMR.FK.SAMPLES_PWS_FACILITY) 
Error Corrections and Resubmissions 

 5-5 

Table 5-2. Common Formatting Data/Verification Error Messages (Continued)

Error message Administrator message 

The PWS ID, Facility ID, and Sampling Point ID 

combination could not be found in SDWARS. Please 

validate the Sampling Point ID belongs to this Facility and 

PWS, then resubmit your data. See FACILTY_ID, PWS_ID, 

and SAMPLING_POINT_ID below. If the PWS is registered 

on your client list and the Sampling Point is correct, contact 

the PWS and have them update their inventory in 

SDWARS. For further assistance, please contact the CDX 

Technical Support staff at 1-888-890-1995. 

ORA-02291 integrity constraint 

(UCMR.FK_TableName_TableName) violated—

parent key not found. FK Violation 

(UCMR.FK.SAMPLES_PWS_ 

FAC_SAMPLING_POINT) 

The Sample Type is invalid. Please change the Sample 

Type and resubmit your data. See SAMPLE_TYPE below. 

For further assistance, please contact the CDX Technical 

Support staff at 1-888-890-1995. 

SAMPLES FK Violation 

(UCMR.FK.SAMPLES_VALID_SAMPLE_TYPE) 

The PWS ID, Sample ID, Batch ID, Method ID combination 

already exists for your Lab. Please validate these data or 

change the file to a “Replacement” and resubmit your data. 

See PWS_ID, SAMPLE_ID, BATCH_ID, and METHOD_ID 

below. For further assistance, please contact the CDX 

Technical Support staff at 1-888-890-1995. 

FIELD ANALYTES PK Violation 

The Batch associated with this Sample does not exist. 

Please add the Batch data or change the Batch ID and 

resubmit your data. See BATCH_ID below. For further 

assistance, please contact the CDX Technical Support staff 

at 1-888-890-1995. 

FIELD ANALYTES FK Violation 

(UCMR.FK.FIELD_ANALYTES_BATCH_QC) 

Your Lab ID could not be found in SDWARS. Please verify 

your Lab ID and resubmit your data. See LAB_ID below. 

For further assistance, please contact the CDX Technical 

Support staff at 1-888-890-1995. 

FIELD ANALYTES FK Violation (UCMR.FK. 

FIELD_ANALYTES _LABS) 

The PWS ID could not be found in SDWARS. Please 

validate the PWS ID and resubmit your data. See PWS_ID 

below. For further assistance, please contact the CDX 

Technical Support staff at 1-888-890-1995. 

FIELD ANALYTES FK Violation (UCMR.FK. 

FIELD_ANALYTES _PWS) 

The PWS ID and Facility ID combination could not be 

found in SDWARS. Please verify the Facility belongs to this 

PWS and resubmit your data and that the PWS is 

registered on your client list. See PWS_ID and 

FACILTIY_ID below. If the Facility is correct, please 

contact the PWS and have them update their inventory in 

SDWARS. For further assistance, please contact the CDX 

Technical Support staff at 1-888-890-1995. 

FIELD ANALYTES FK Violation (UCMR.FK. 

FIELD_ANALYTES _PWS_FACILITY) 

The following PWS ID, Facility ID, and Sampling Point ID 

combination could not be found in SDWARS. Please verify 

the Sampling Point belongs to this Facility in the PWS and 

resubmit your data. See PWS_ID, FACILTY_ID, and 

SAMPLING_POINT_ID below. If the PWS is registered on 

your client list and the Sampling Point is correct, please 

contact the PWS and have them update their inventory in 

SDWARS. For further assistance, please contact the CDX 

Technical Support staff at 1-888-890-1995. 

FIELD ANALYTES FK Violation (UCMR.FK. 

FIELD_ANALYTES _PWS_ 

FAC_SAMPLING_POINT) 

Application terminated. No data were processed. 

Document must contain an Environment field and field 

value must be T or P. For further assistance, please 

contact the CDX Technical Support staff at 

1-888-890-1995. 
 

 5-6 

Table 5-2. Common Formatting Data/Verification Error Messages (Continued)

Error message Administrator message 

Application terminated. No data were processed. 

Document must contain Header data and Batch QC or 

Sample & Result data. 

Application terminated. No data were processed. 

Document must contain a Report Type field and field value 

must be UCMR to identify transaction as a UCMR report. 

Application terminated. No data were processed. 

Document must contain a Transaction Purpose field and 

field value must be o or r. 

The final validations that SDWARS conducts are UCMR data validations. 

Table 5-3 lists common error messages for UCMR data validations 

Table 5-3. UCMR Validation Errors

Error message 

Administrator 

message 

RESULT_PRECISION,ACCURACY,SPK_CONCENTRATION must equal N/A ORA-20100 

RESULT_PRECISION must equal N/A or be greater than or equal to 0 ORA-20101 

ACCURACY must equal N/A or be greater than or equal to 0 ORA-20102 

SPK_CONCENTRATION must equal N/A or be greater than 0 ORA-20103 

EXTRACTION_ANALYSIS_DATE must be between January 1, 1985 and sysdate ORA-20104 

SPIKE CONCENTRATION may not equal MISSING ORA-20105 

ACCURACY may not equal MISSING ORA-20106 

RESULT_PRECISION must be a number or N/A or missing ORA-20107 

ACCURACY must be a number or N/A ORA-20108 

SPK_CONCENTRATION must be a number or N/A ORA-20109 

The Collection Date DD-MON-YYYY must be on or before the Extraction Analysis 

Date DD-MON-YYYY 

ORA-20200 

For Method, the analytical result value must be less than MRL ORA-20201 

ANAL_RESULT_VALUE is not null, so LESS_THAN_MRL must be null ORA-20202 

ANAL_RESULT_VALUE must equal to N/A or be greater than or equal to the MRL ORA-20203 

LESS_THAN_MRL is LT, so ANAL_RESULT_VALUES must be null ORA-20204 

Either LESS_THAN_MRL or ANAL_RESULT_VALUES must be not null in order to be 

approved 

ORA-20205 

Your STATUS CODE is status_cd and STATUS CODE must be 10 or 50 in order to 

change the ANAL_RESULT_VALUE 

ORA-20206 

Your STATUS CODE is status_cd and STATUS CODE must be 10 or 50 in order to 

change the LESS_THAN_MRL 

ORA-20207 

ANAL RESULT VALUES must be a number or N/A ORA-20208 
Error Corrections and Resubmissions 

 5-7 

RESUBMITTING DATA

The laboratory can submit a flat file as an original transaction or a resubmission. 

The type of submission is indicated in the transaction_purpose element. The 

laboratory may resubmit results for a sample if the result has not yet been 

approved. When resubmitting data, the laboratory must use the code “r” that 

indicates the transaction contains records that will replace existing records. The 

laboratory cannot resubmit a flat file that has the same name as a previous 

submission. The laboratory must rename the file before resubmitting it. The 

resubmission will overwrite the existing data in the CDX database. The laboratory 

may confirm that the data were overwritten by viewing the records in the 

SDWARS application. 

The laboratory is the only entity that may edit sampling and analytical data. The 

laboratory can only edit data that are in “lab hold” status in the SDWARS 

database. If the laboratory needs to edit data that has already been approved by 

the PWS, then the PWS or the laboratory must request that the SDWARS 

database administrator return editing rights to the laboratory. The SDWARS 

database administrator can be contacted through CDX Technical Support. 

CHECKING THE RANGE OF DATA VALUES

In addition to the edit validations described in the preceding sections SDWARS 

reviews several fields for specific values or ranges. In some cases it may entirely 

reject the record for failing the range check while in others it may create a 

warning that requires the laboratory to manually review and either approve or 

modify the results. This section describes these fields. 

UCMR Data Range Checks 

The UCMR has specific ranges of values for different analytes and methods. 

Information about MRL values is in the following regulations: 

◆ 40 CFR, parts 9, 141 and 142, “Revisions to the Unregulated Contaminant 

Monitoring Regulation for Public Water Systems;” final rule, 

September 17, 1999. 

◆ 40 CFR, part 141, “Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Regulation for 

Public Water Systems: Analytical Methods for Perchlorate and 

Acetochlor;” “Announcement of Laboratory Approval and Performance 

Testing (PT) Program for the Analysis of Perchlorate;” final rule and 

proposed rule, March 2, 2000. 

◆ 40 CFR, part 141, “Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Regulation for 

Public Water Systems;” “Analytical Methods for List 2 Contaminants and 

Clarifications;” final rule, January 11, 2001. 
 

 5-8 

SDWARS Data Range Checks 

SDWARS will check the range of some data values. Table 5-4 shows the list of 

elements that SDWARS checks. SDWARS assigns a range or value that the 

element must satisfy, and the range or value it should satisfy. The “must” checks 

will prevent the data from loading, although the “should” checks will not. 

However, the “should” checks will flag results as having potential errors for the 

laboratory to confirm. If data are submitted that violate the “should” criteria, 

then the status of those records will be “hold” and the laboratory must use 

the web forms to override the range check. Laboratories cannot approve data 

that have range check notifications without choosing the override option. Thus, 

the data cannot be sent to the PWS to approve and will remain in the laboratory’s 

“hold” samples. 

To edit a range check, the reporting laboratory has two options. In order to 

override the warning message and approve the data, the laboratory must use the 

web forms. If in reviewing the data the lab believes the data should be corrected, 

it may do so either by using the web form or by correcting the data in their system 

and issuing a replacement transaction. 

Table 5-4. Range Checks Performed by SDWARS 

Criteria 

Element Must be Should be 

Accuracy > 0 or N/A 

< 32000 

< 200% 

> 10% 

Collection date Not later than the current date 

Not earlier than 1/1/85 

Extraction/analysis date Not later than the current date 

Not earlier than the collection date 

Not earlier than 1/1/85 

< 60 days from collection 

date 

Precision > 0, “MISSING,”a

 or N/A 

< 32000 

< 99% 

Result (value)b > MRL or N/A 

< 32000 

> 10 x MRL 

Spiking concentration > 0 or N/A 

< 32000 

< 200 

a “MISSING” is allowed when a duplicate result was not available. 

b

 If the result_sign is “eq,” then the result value field must be numeric and comply with the above criteria. 

Otherwise, the result sign is “lt” and the result value is “null.” Method EPA 515.3 will not have a result value, it 

must always be reported as less than MRL. 

Note: N/A indicates “not analyzed.” If an analyte is not analyzed for a batch, then precision, accuracy and 

spiking concentration must be N/A. If an analyte is not analyzed for the sample then the result value is N/A. 
A-1

Appendix A 

Flat File Format, UCMR Reporting

HOW TO READ THE RECORD DEFINITIONS

Table A-1. Explanation of the Layout for Record Definitions

Column Purpose

Element* Provides the name for the element.

(Record elements that define a unique record in SDWARS are identified 

with an asterisk (“*”) after the element name.)

Type and size Specifies the allowable character types and the number of characters.

(Types [AN = alphanumeric and special characters, N = numeric 

characters with optional decimal “.”]; Sizes [absolute (e.g., “9”), range 

(e.g., “1...15”)])

UCMR element number Cross-references the flat file element to the UCMR element defined in 

“Table 1 Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule Requirements.”a

Must not be null Indicates if the element is prohibited from being valued as null.

Codes Specifies acceptable code values for coded elements.

Notes Provides additional information about element definitions, their 

purposes, or values.

a Federal Register, Vol. 66, No. 8, Thursday, January 11, 2001, Final Rule, pages 2300–2302.

HEADER RECORD DEFINITIONS

Occurs once at the beginning of a transaction file to provide transaction processing 

information.

Table A-2. Header Record Definitions

Element

Type and 

size

UCMR element 

number

Must not 

be null Code Notes

start_tag AN 3 – Yes HDR Identifies the record type as a header record. 

Used by CDX to determine processing 

functions.

report_type AN 4 – Yes UCMR Identifies this transaction as a UCMR report. 

Used by CDX to determine processing 

functions.

version AN 1.4 – Yes Identifies the version (currently 2.1) of the 

report format. Used by CDX to determine 

processing functions.
A-2

Table A-2. Header Record Definitions (Continued)

Element

Type and 

size

UCMR element 

number

Must not 

be null Code Notes

transaction_

purpose

AN 1 – Yes o, r An “o” identifies whether the transaction 

contains only new data (originals only). An “r” 

identifies the record as containing replacement 

data and may also contain some original data. 

The replacement submission identifies if the 

record already exists. If it does, it will overwrite 

those existing records in SDWARS 

(replacements permitted). Once a transaction 

is defined with the purpose of either “o” or “r,” 

then all records in that transaction will be 

processed under the rules of the selected 

purpose code. If “o,” then all duplicate 

transaction records in SDWARS are rejected. 

SDWARS will reject the entire file if any error 

is found. Used by CDX to determine

processing functions.

o: Originals

r: Replacements permitted

sender_ID* AN 1.15 11.a Yes Identifies the laboratory submitting the data. 

Your laboratory ID begins with the two letter 

postal code for your state followed by a fivedigit numeric code assigned by the U.S. EPA 

during a past PE study (e.g., FL12345). If you 

do not know your lab ID, please contact the 

Safe Drinking Water Hotline (see Chapter 1, 

How to Get More Information).

CDX_

identification

AN 8.30 – Yes Identifies the CDX user to be contacted for 

processing issues. Should be your user ID to 

log in to CDX.

transaction_

date

N 8 – Yes Identifies the date the transaction was created. 

Date format is “YYYYMMDD.”

transaction_

time

N 6 – Yes Identifies the time the transaction was created. 

Time format is “HHMMSS.”

environment AN 1 – No t, p Instructs the translator to process the file as 

test or production data. The use of “T” will give 

messages, as if it were loading the data, but 

will not load the data into the database.

T: Test

P: Production

BATCH QUALITY CONTROL DATA

The quality control (QC) data show spiking concentration, analytical precision, 

and accuracy for each analyte of a reported batch. A separate record instance is 

required for each combination of batch_ID, extraction_analysis_date, and 

analyte_code (e.g., Two analytes that are measured from the same batch must 

have two batch QC data records to provide QC data for each.).
Flat File Format, UCMR Reporting

A-3

Table A-3. Batch QC Record Definitions

Element

Type 

and size

UCMR 

element 

number

Must not 

be null Code Notes

start_tag AN 3 – Yes BCH Identifies the record type as a batch data 

record. Used by CDX to determine 

processing functions.

batch_ID* AN 1.15 11.b Yes Identifies the laboratory-assigned batch 

number for an extraction batch. If no 

extraction was part of the method, use the 

analysis batch identification. Batch 

identifications may contain alphanumeric 

characters as well as #, &, ( ), -.

extraction_

analysis_date

N 8 11.c Yes Identifies the date the batch was extracted. 

If the method used is not an extraction 

process, use the analysis start date. Date 

format is “YYYYMMDD.”

analytical_

method

AN 6.15 9 Yes (See 

Appendix C)

Identifies the method for analysis.

analyte_code* N 4 5 Yes (See 

Appendix B)

Identifies an analyte analyzed as part of the 

batch by the analytical method. Analytes 

are identified by their SDWIS code value.

spiking_

concentration

N 1.5 16 Yes Identifies the spiking concentration of the 

analyte for the batch. Value is assumed to 

be in accordance with the unit of measure 

for the analyte. The decimal point is not

included in the element size limit.

analytical_

precision

N 1.5 14 Yes Identifies the analytical precision for 

measuring the analyte for the batch 

according to the observed variability of 

results for duplicate spiked samples. 

Values are percentages (e.g., 5.5) or 

“missing” if not measured. The use of a 

decimal point is not included in the element 

size limit. 

analytical_

accuracy

N 1.5 15 Yes Identifies the analytical accuracy for 

measuring the analyte for the batch 

according to the percent recovered from 

spiked samples. Values are percentages 

(e.g., 95.5). The use of a decimal point is 

not included in the element size limit. 
A-4

SAMPLE AND RESULT

The sample and result provides a single analytical result for a sample. A separate 

record instance is required for each analyte analyzed from a sample.

Table A-4. Sample-and-Result Record Definitions

Element

Type and 

size

UCMR element 

number

Must not 

be null Code Notes

start_tag AN 3 – Yes RES Identifies the record type as a sampleand-result data record. Used by CDX to 

determine processing functions.

pws_ID* AN 9 1 Yes Identifies the PWS from which the 

sample was taken. Use state code and 

state-assigned ID (i.e., 2-character state 

code + 7-character state-assigned ID; 

e.g., “CA1234567”).

facility_ID* AN 1.6 2.a Yes Identifies the facility at the PWS from 

which the sample was taken. Use stateassigned ID, if available. If no state ID 

exists for the facility, the PWS must 

register the facility with SDWARS. ID of 

each facility in the PWS must be 

unique.

sample_point_ID

*

AN 1.20 2.b Yes Identifies the point from which the 

sample was taken. Use state-assigned 

ID, if available. If no state-provided ID 

exists for the sampling point, the PWS 

must register the sampling point with 

SDWARS. ID of each sampling point for 

the facility in the PWS must be unique.

sample_ID* AN 1.15 4 Yes Uniquely identifies the sample in the 

laboratory. Assigned by laboratory.

sample_

collection_date

N 8 3 Yes Identifies the date the sample was 

collected. Date format is “YYYYMMDD.”

analysis_type AN 3 10 Yes rfs, rds, 

tfs, tds

Identifies the sample’s analysis type. 

Duplicate field samples will only be 

reported for small PWS participants.

rfs: Raw field sample

rds: Raw duplicate field sample

tfs: Treated field sample

tds: Treated duplicate field sample

analyte_code* N 4 5 Yes See 

Appendix B

Identifies the applicable analyte for the 

result. Analytes are identified by their 

SDWIS code value. This element also 

links results to QC data along with 

batch_ID and analytical_method.
Flat File Format, UCMR Reporting

A-5

Table A-4. Sample-and-Result Record Definitions (Continued)

Element

Type and 

size

UCMR element 

number

Must not 

be null Code Notes

batch_ID* AN 1.15 11.b Yes Provides a foreign key to link results to 

QC data along with analyte_code and 

analytical_method. Must equal a 

batch_ID in a preceding batch QC data 

record or existing in SDWARS. 

analytical_

method*

AN 6.15 9 Yes (See 

Appendix C)

Provides a foreign key to link results to 

QC data along with analyte_code and 

batch_ID.

value N 1.15 7 No Identifies the result value for 

measurable analysis. Must be valued if 

result_sign is “eq.” If result_sign is “It,” 

this field must be “NULL.

result_sign AN 2 6 Yes lt, eq Identifies if the result is less than the 

statutory MRL.

lt: Less than MRL

eq: Equals (a value = or > MRL)

presence AN 1 17 No p, a Reserved for future use. Must be 

“NULL.”

p: Present

a: Absent

reviewer_status AN 1 – No h, a Identifies the laboratory’s status for an 

analytical result. If not valued, 

SDWARS will default to hold status.

h: Hold result record

a: Approve result

lab_result_

comment

AN 1.250 – No Optional laboratory comments about the 

sample result (e.g., slightly lower 

internal standard).

lab_sample_

comment

AN 1.250 – No Optional laboratory comments about the 

sample (e.g., condition upon receipt).
A-6
B-1

Appendix B 

Analyte Code List

Table B-1. Assessment Monitoring Analytes

SDWIS code UCMR analyte name

2009 4,4’-DDE

1039 Perchlorate

2108 DCPA mono/di-acid degradatesa

2027 Acetochlor

2052 EPTC

2251 MTBE

2254 Nitrobenzene

2266 2,6-dinitrotoluene

2270 2,4-dinitrotoluene

2272 Terbacil

2626 Molinate

a DCPA mono-acid degradate and di-acid degradate are 

not reported to SDWARS individually.

Table B-2. Screening Survey Analytes

SDWIS code UCMR analyte name

3201 Aeromonas

2029 Prometon

2056 Diazinon

2102 Disulfoton

2103 Diuron

2104 Fonofos

2233 2-methyl-phenol

2254 Low-level nitrobenzene

2268 1,2-diphenylhydrazine

2283 Linuron

2328 2,4-dinitrophenol

2332 2,4,6-trichlorophenol

2334 2,4-dichlorophenol

2545 Terbufos
B-2
C-1

Appendix C 

Analytical Method Code

Table C-1. Analyte Method Codes

Analytical method

Abbreviated method name

(40 characters maximum)

AOAC 990.06 Organochlorine pesticides in water

AOAC 991.07 Nitrogen/phosphorus pesticides

AOAC 992.32 Chlorinated acid pesticides

ASTM D5317 Chlorinated organic acids, GC/ECD

ASTM D5475 Pesticides, nitrogen/phosphorous, LLE, GC, NPD

ASTM D5790 VOC, GC/MS, P&T, capcolumn

ASTM D5812 Pesticides, chlorinated, GC

EPA 1605 Membrane filter, aeromonas

EPA 314.0 Perchlorate, ion chromatography

EPA 502.2 VOC, GC, PID/ECD, P&T

EPA 507 Pesticides, nitrogen/phosphorous, LLE, GC, NPD

EPA 508 Pesticides, chlorinated, LLE, GC/ECD

EPA 508.1 Pesticides, chlorinated, SPE, GC/ECD

EPA 515.1 Herbicides, acids, LLE, GC/ECD

EPA 515.2 Herbicides, acids, SPE, GC/ECD

EPA 515.3 Herbicides, acids, LLE, GC/ECD

EPA 515.4 Herbicides, acids, micro LLE, GC/ECD

EPA 524.2 VOC, GC/MS, P&T, capcolumn

EPA 525.2 Organics, SPE, GC/MS

EPA 526 Organics, SPE, GC/MS

EPA 528 Phenols, SPE, GC/MS

EPA 532 Phenylurea, SPE, HPLC/UV

SM 6200 B VOC, GC/MS, P&T, capcolumn

SM 6200 C VOC, GC/MS, P&T, capcolumn

SM 6210 D VOC, GC/MS, P&T, capcolumn
C-2
D-1

Appendix D 

Flat File Examples

EXAMPLE 1

Example 1 is of two batch QC records and the compatible sample result in the 

same transaction.

HDR|UCMR|2.1|O|EP00001|LABTEST1|20010718|1700|P~

BCH|101NMO507|20010705|EPA 507|2052|10|11.10|92.60~

BCH|101NMO507|20010705|EPA 507|2272|10|21.40|77.40~

RES|AK9000073|00065|00488|20010727F|20010701|TFS|2052|101NMO507|EPA 

507|NULL|LT|NULL|A|NULL|NULL~

RES|AK9000073|00065|00488|20010727F|20010701|TFS|2272|101NMO507|EPA 

507|2.6|EQ|NULL|H|NULL|NULL~

EXAMPLE 2

Example 2 is of two batch QC records for the same analyte, each referenced by 

sample results in a later transaction.

Transaction 1:

HDR|UCMR|2.1|R|EP00001|LABTEST1|20010719|1708|P~

BCH|B071801A|20010718|EPA 507|2272|10|15.3|84.00~

BCH|B071801B|20010718|EPA 525.2|2027|10|9|98~

Transaction 2:

HDR|UCMR|2.1|R|EP00001|LABTEST1|20010725|1725|P~

RES|AK9090074|00107|00107E|CD33480|20010708|TFS|2272|B071801A|EPA 

507|NULL|LT|NULL|A|NULL|THE BOTTLES WERE NOT SECURELY PACKED, BUT SEAL 

INTEGRITY WAS MAINTAINED.~

RES|AK9090074|00107|00107E|CD33480|20010708|TFS|2027|B071801B|EPA 

525.2|NULL|LT|NULL|A|NULL|THE BOTTLES WERE NOT SECURELY PACKED, BUT 

SEAL INTEGRITY WAS MAINTAINED.~
D-2

EXAMPLE 3

Example 3 is of two batches and related sample results for each. This lab decided 

not to re-analyze analytes in the batch run under method EP525.2 that were 

already part of the other batch run under method EP507. This lab decided to 

explicitly denote the analytes not analyzed by using “N/A” in the batch’s 

precision, accuracy, spiking concentration, and the sample result’s value fields. 

They could have instead left those records out of the transaction.

HDR|UCMR|2.1|O|EP00001|JKELLOG1|20010718|1700|P~

BCH|103NMO507|20010705|EPA 507|2052|10|11.1|92.6~

BCH|103NMO507|20010705|EPA 507|2272|10|17|85.3~

BCH|103NMO507|20010705|EPA 507|2626|10|12.8|87.1~

BCH|104NMO525|20010705|EPA 525.2|2009|20|8|93.7~

BCH|104NMO525|20010705|EPA 525.2|2027|20|15.5|87.4~

BCH|104NMO525|20010705|EPA 525.2|2052|N/A|N/A|N/A~

BCH|104NMO525|20010705|EPA 525.2|2266|20|MISSING|100.6~

BCH|104NMO525|20010705|EPA 525.2|2270|20|9.4|94.9~

BCH|104NMO525|20010705|EPA 525.2|2272|N/A|N/A|N/A~

BCH|104NMO525|20010705|EPA 525.2|2626|N/A|N/A|N/A~

RES|TN0000073|00065|00488|20010727F|20010701|TFS|2052|103NMO507|EPA 

507|NULL|LT|NULL|A|NULL|NULL~

RES|TN0000073|00065|00488|20010727F|20010701|TFS|2272|103NMO507|EPA 

507|3|EQ|NULL|H|NULL|NULL~

RES|TN0000073|00065|00488|20010727F|20010701|TFS|2626|103NMO507|EPA 

507|NULL|LT|NULL|A|NULL|NULL~

RES|TN0000073|00065|00488|20010727F|20010701|TFS|2009|104NMO525|EPA 

525.2|NULL|LT|NULL|A|NULL|NULL~

RES|TN0000073|00065|00488|20010727F|20010701|TFS|2027|104NMO525|EPA 

525.2|NULL|LT|NULL|A|NULL|NULL~

RES|TN0000073|00065|00488|20010727F|20010701|TFS|2052|104NMO525|EPA 

525.2|N/A|EQ|NULL|A|NULL|NULL~

RES|TN0000073|00065|00488|20010727F|20010701|TFS|2266|104NMO525|EPA 

525.2|NULL|LT|NULL|A|NULL|NULL~

RES|TN0000073|00065|00488|20010727F|20010701|TFS|2270|104NMO525|EPA 

525.2|NULL|LT|NULL|A|NULL|NULL~

RES|TN0000073|00065|00488|20010727F|20010701|TFS|2272|104NMO525|EPA 

525.2|N/A|EQ|NULL|A|NULL|NULL~

RES|TN0000073|00065|00488|20010727F|20010701|TFS|2626|104NMO525|EPA 

525.2|N/A|EQ|NULL|A|NULL|NULL~
E-1

Appendix E 

Abbreviations

ACES Access Certificates for Electronic Services

B2B business-to-business

CA certifying agent

CDX Central Data Exchange

CRK customer retrieval key

CSI Common Sense Initiative

DTD document-type definition

EC electronic commerce

EDI Electronic Data Exchange

EPA U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

FCC Federal Communications Commission

GPEA Government Paperwork Elimination Act

GPRA Government Performance and Results Act

GSA General Services Administration

I-3 Information Integration Initiative

ID identification

IG implementation guide

IT information technology

LIMS Laboratory Information Management Guide

NCOD National Contaminant Occurance Database

OEI Office of Environmental Information

OGWDW Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water

OIC Office of Information Collection

OLAP online analytical processing

PE performance evaluation

PIN personal identification number

PC personal computer

PWS public water systems
E-2

REI Reinventing Environmental Information

SDWARS Safe Drinking Water Accession and Review System

SSL secure socket layer

UCMR Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule

URL uniform resource locator

XML Extensible Markup Language

Y2K Year 2000
Office of Water (4601)

Washington, DC 20460

EPA 816-R-01-022D

www.epa.gov/safewater

December 2001